Chapter 1 –
Three months since former Major Leah Belmont's arrest…
"For the murders of Lieutenant-Colonel Frank Chambers, Captain Chase Bryce, Major Colin Pardi, Colonel James Summer, Brigadier-General Aleyce Henley, Major-General Bernard Andrews, the attempted murder and aggravated assault of Lieutenant-General Olivier Mira Armstrong, the kidnapping, aggravated assault and unlawful imprisonment of Captain Riza Hawkeye, the aggravated assault of Alphonse Elric and resisting arrest, you have been found guilty of all charges by a jury of your peers, former Major Leah Belmont." Ed's eyes flicked over to where the hunched form of Belmont stood next to her lawyer as the judge presiding over her case read out the verdict and sentence of the near two-month long trial. The three months in jail had done her physical health no favours. Her cheeks were gaunt and her eyes were sunken in, the surrounding skin looking almost bruised. The wound Ed had inflicted during their fight with his transmuted stone knife to her left cheek had scarred just as he had predicted it would. The gnarled red skin stuck out vividly against her almost sickly pale skin. "You are hereby sentenced to death by firing squad at a time to be later determined by this court," the judge declared tonelessly, the sound of his gavel echoing throughout the room as he brought it down on the table with a sense of finality.
"No!" Belmont screeched as the two soldiers tasked with escorting her to and from the courtroom every day for her trial grabbed her by her upper arms and pulled her away from her lawyer's side. Her sobs and screams echoed back to them as they led her to the vehicle that would transport her back to her prison cell.
The young man who'd represented her had an air of unsurprised sadness around him as he slowly packed away the loose sheets and files on his desk into the briefcase that had sat on his right side. No doubt, Ed thought, her lawyer had been expecting a guilty verdict but had hoped to avoid the death penalty since he'd encouraged Belmont to plead guilty by reason of insanity. However she had decided to voice her opinions about how everything had been Mustang's fault loudly at every opportunity. If she'd managed to follow the advice her lawyer had undoubtedly given her, Ed knew she likely would've been sentenced to life with no chance of parole. It also didn't help her case when she tried to attack Mustang, Hawkeye, Ed and Brookes when they all gave testimony against her. Even though she had pled guilty, they still had to present the case so the judge and jury could learn the severity of her crimes so they could pass down the appropriate judgment.
There had been a couple of tense hours where Belmont's lawyer had questioned why none of the six consultants who worked the case alongside Ed, Mustang's team and Brookes were available to give testimony when Ed had been on the witness stand. The blonde had managed to keep his cool and told the lawyer that they'd gone home to their country and were unavailable to give evidence before pointing out that each member had written a report of what they'd witnessed the night of Belmont's arrest and that Hotch had given a more thorough report of their discoveries throughout the investigation in its entirety. Belmont's lawyer had made a motion to suppress the reports and evidence based on the fact that those who had written them and uncovered it weren't there to swear to their authenticity in the court.
Thankfully, the judge had overruled the motions after some deliberation and sworn testimony by everyone who had accompanied or been interviewed by the BAU agents that what was written in the reports was accurate. Much to Ed's amusement, even Widdon and Combes had been called upon to testify about their interview with Hotch, Rossi, Lieutenant Maria Ross and Ed himself. The testimony they'd given had been completely truthful – something Ed had been rather surprised about – but Al had been forced to pinch Ed a couple of times so the older Elric wouldn't burst into laughter at how the disgraced generals had managed to deliver their testimonies through gritted teeth.
But finally, after two long months of testimony and evidence presenting, the trial was over and Belmont would never see the outside of her cell again. Ed wasn't too sure how he felt about the death penalty being handed down but he took Red's advice to not linger on it too much. It wasn't up to him what sentence Belmont would be given and it would do him no good to think about it too much. A nudge to his flesh shoulder had him looking over to see that Al was waiting for him to stand so they could follow Mustang and Hawkeye out of the courtroom. There was a slightly pinched look to Al's face and Ed realised that his brother had started getting concerned for him, which Ed couldn't blame him for since the whole courtroom was a flurry of activity as people started leaving. Ed gave Al a reassuring look as he got to his feet and joined Al and Hawkeye in waiting for Mustang, who was speaking to the prosecutor. After exchanging a few more words and shaking the woman's hand, Mustang joined the three of them and they all left the courtroom together.
"Thank fuck that's finally over with," Ed said as he squinted at the brightness outside. Blinking a couple of times, he managed to adjust to the sunlight quickly enough to glare at Mustang when he snorted. "What?" Ed snapped, even as Al tried to stop him from doing so.
"You do realise that that trial should've gone longer, don't you, Fullmetal?" Mustang asked. "It was only thanks to Fuhrer Grumman that she went on trial so quickly and that this trial didn't run twice as long, if not longer," Mustang informed him.
"It's so wonderful to know that this whole ordeal hasn't traumatized him enough that he can no longer act like a superior dick," Red said with a sarcastic sigh. Her comment in Ed's mind had the blonde snorting violently in amusement and Mustang narrowing his eyes.
"Which Lion?" the man asked, keeping his voice on the quiet side since they were in public.
"Red," Ed told him, voice still filled with amusement as he felt the Red Lion of Voltron preen at the fact she was able to get that reaction from him. The other four Lions were either rolling their eyes or shaking their heads in resignation or their own amusement at either Red or Edward.
"I think I'll live if you don't repeat what she had to say," Mustang muttered, causing Ed to laugh once more.
"Yeah most likely," Ed told him with a shrug. He felt Red's disappointment that Mustang wouldn't hear what she had to say but Ed promised that the next time she insulted him; he'd tell him. "Anyways, as wonderful as this conversation is, you've got paperwork to do and we need to go pick up some groceries for Miss Gracia still," Ed said as the four of them made it out to where the military car Hawkeye had booked and driven them to the courthouse in was parked.
Mustang's groan of annoyance was covered by Al's noise of confusion, much to the flame alchemist's relief since his captain was eyeing him suspiciously. "Brother, you have your meeting with Fuhrer Grumman in an hour," Al reminded him.
"Wait, that's today?" Ed asked, face scrunched in confusion.
Al sighed as he nodded. "Samantha called us yesterday to confirm it, remember?" Al said, voice slightly exasperated.
Ed's face smoothed out in remembrance as he recalled the previous day's telephone conversation with the Fuhrer's secretary. "Oh yeah," he said, causing the five Lions, Al and Mustang to chuckle at him. The only one who didn't laugh was Hawkeye but Ed could see the amusement in her eyes. "Good thing I've got you as my personal aide, little brother," Ed said with a smirk, knowing how much Al disliked being reminded of the fact that Ed was literally his boss. As Ed thought would happen, all amusement on Al's face was replaced with a scowl.
"Would the two of you like a lift to Central Command?" Hawkeye offered, getting in front of anything Al could say in retaliation.
"Yeah, that'd be great, Miss Riza. Thanks," Ed said, giving her an honest smile that she returned. Al echoed Ed's words and everyone chose to ignore the small huff Mustang gave at Hawkeye's offer as they climbed into the car, Hawkeye behind the wheel.
"This meeting's just about your contract with the military, isn't it?" Mustang asked as they headed for Central Command and Ed nodded.
"Yeah, should be the last one," Ed told him as he let himself stretch out next to Alphonse.
Ed and Grumman had had several meetings over the past three months but they had been very short ones as either something always happened to interrupt them or they didn't have the time available to discuss the subject of Ed's contract for very long. Though Ed hadn't been sent on a mission outside of Central since Belmont's capture and Mustang's release from prison, he also had been busy with helping Gracia with Elysia, doctor's appointments regarding his injuries and Belmont's trial itself.
Fuhrer Grumman, to no one's surprise, rarely had time available for Ed to just drop by so they'd had to make do with short conversations that never lasted longer than 15 minutes up until today where Grumman had been able to schedule a proper meeting for the two of them. Considering Ed's contract was due to expire in just under a month – since he'd signed the five-year contract only a month before his 13th birthday – it wasn't like they really had the time to wait for everything to settle down to its normal speed to have their meeting. With the memorial for the first Promised Day anniversary literally only five weeks away, Ed couldn't truly blame Grumman for not calling a proper meeting sooner. The Fuhrer was in the middle of trying to declare the date a nation-wide public holiday so the citizens of Amestris would never forget what their country had gone through and survived and would remember those who had been lost on that day, as well as organise a ceremony to memorialise those who had fought to save Amestris and those who had lost their lives in trying.
"I trust you'll pay the office a visit once you've finished with your meeting," Mustang said, drawing Ed out of his thoughts and causing the blonde to roll his eyes.
"Yes, I already said I would," Ed grumbled at him. His decision on whether to renew his contract would, after all, affect Mustang as well, no matter which way he decided so he would have to tell Mustang what he and Grumman had decided.
"Need I remind you of the numerous times you've said you'd turn a report in only for you to do so two or three days late because you – and I quote – 'had better things to do with your time'?" Mustang said, causing Ed to snort in amusement. His amusement was echoed by most of the Lions, though Black did her best to try and be admonishing. Needless to say, she failed after only a couple of moments.
"It wasn't like I lied," Ed said. "I never did give you specific times, after all, for that reason," Ed informed him, a smirk on his face.
"Brother, stop arguing with the general," Al moaned as he slouched in his seat.
"But it's so much fun, Al!" Ed whined playfully, grinning as his brother rolled his eyes and looked remarkably like her was praying for patience from some unknown being.
"Behave yourself," Hawkeye ordered, making Ed immediately pout before nodding. The Captain's eyes caught Mustang's smirk and she levelled him with an unimpressed look even as she guided the car through the street. "Both of you," she added sternly, making Mustang's smirk disappear while Ed struggled to stifle his laughter, something proved all the more difficult with five giggling Lions in his head. Hawkeye must've sensed them laughing in Ed's head because she locked eyes with the blonde, an amused twinkle in her eyes before she focused back on the road.
"You guys are so gonna get me in trouble one day," Ed murmured to the Lions, using his bond with them as he mimicked Al's slumped position. His brother looked a little confused by his sudden silence but Ed tapped the side of his head and Al gave a small nod.
"You're clever enough to come up with a way to get out of that trouble though," Green said and Ed could feel her smirk.
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Ed told her before smirking himself, "but you're absolutely right. I am pretty clever," Ed said, causing the Lions to laugh in his mind as he grinned. "So what did you lot and your pilots get up to today?" Ed asked, not wanting to lose the victorious and relieving feeling that Belmont's guilty verdict gave him any sooner than he needed to. He grinned as the Lions fought over who would get to tell him of their adventure to a nearby planet that day while the scenery of Central flashed by his window.
"Good afternoon, Miss Samantha," Ed and Al chorused as they both entered Grumman's outer offices and spotted the brunette who was his secretary.
"Good afternoon, boys. I'm glad you both remembered this meeting," Samantha said once she identified who'd walked in.
"Edward almost forgot," Al immediately told her, grunting when his brother elbowed him.
"Tattletale," Ed hissed before looking up to see Samantha's amused expression. "I got my days mixed up and thought I was meeting Grumman tomorrow," Ed explained and Samantha sighed, shaking her head slightly.
"Well you're here now and that's all that matters, I suppose," Samantha said as she stood up from her desk. "I'll let Fuhrer Grumman know that you're here. You are aware that His Excellency wishes this meeting to be between just the two of you, yes?" Samantha asked and Ed nodded.
"Yeah," he told her. "Al's already said he'll wait out here so long as you're alright with that, Miss Samantha." From his side, Al nodded in agreement with Ed's words.
It had caused a small fight between the two brothers when Ed had told Al that. Al hadn't been impressed but Ed told him almost exactly what he'd told Winry when he got his new automail installed just before the BAU went home after helping him and the team save Mustang and Hawkeye: it was his decision and his alone whether he signed on with the military and Al attending the meeting with him would only result in the youngest Elric becoming bored as he would not be able to have any input.
Al had argued, telling Ed that he wasn't stupid and that he knew it was Ed's decision alone so he wouldn't try anything but Ed had given him an incredulous look that told Al his brother didn't believe him but it wasn't like Al could pretend the look wasn't warranted. He'd always been vocal about how he didn't like the fact that Ed would still be going on dangerous missions now that everything had calmed down after Promised Day, assuming Ed agreed to renew his contract. Eventually though, once he realised Ed wouldn't budge on trying to convince Grumman to let Al in on the meeting, Al had accepted the condition and agreed to wait in Samantha's office.
"Of course it's no trouble," Samantha told them, giving them both a smile before she knocked firmly on Grumman's door. "Fuhrer Grumman? Lieutenant-Colonel Elric is here to see you," Samantha said when Grumman's muffled 'yes?' could be heard. Ed scowled at the use of his rank but Samantha pretended not to notice. Al didn't bother trying to hide his grin and the Lions in Ed's head didn't bother hiding their own amusement either, causing Ed's scowl to deepen. "Edward?" Samantha's voice got his attention and the scowl disappeared from his face.
"Yes, Miss Samantha?" Ed said, though he was fairly certain he knew what the woman was about to tell him.
"Fuhrer Grumman will see you now," she told him and Ed nodded before making his way over to the doors.
"Behave yourself for Samantha, little brother," Ed said, giving Al a cheeky smile before he vanished into the inner office, smiling at Samantha and closing the doors before Al could snap at him. "Hey, Grumman," Ed greeted with a lively wave as he headed for the two chairs that sat opposite Grumman's desk.
"Hello, Edward," Grumman said, dropping any need for professionalism since it was only the two of them in the office and he knew Ed was easier to deal with if he wasn't forced to abide by military protocol too strictly. "I hear Belmont's trial came to a favourable end," Grumman said casually, as though he hadn't sent one of the soldiers who regularly acted as part of his guard to the trial with instructions to call with the verdict the moment it was handed down.
"Yeah, she got the death penalty," Ed said, pretending he also didn't know about Grumman's guard's orders either. He still wasn't sure whether he was alright with the sentence but he refused to think any more on it. It had been up to the courts and that was their decision. Besides, under Grumman's rule, Belmont would get the chance to appeal her sentence if she chose to so there was a chance her sentence would be reduced to life without the possibility of release.
"I see," Grumman said, obviously sensing Ed's uncertainty about the decision because he didn't say anything more on the subject. "Before we move into discussions about your contract, I would like your opinion on something," Grumman said, surprising Ed slightly.
"Sure. What's up?" he asked, feeling the Lions' curiosity as well but he could only mentally shrug at them.
"I intend to honour those who were instrumental in defeating the homunculi and stopping Amestris' destruction, as I'm sure you're well aware of," Grumman said and Ed nodded. He hadn't been awfully thrilled when he'd been informed that Grumman had wanted to present those Father had used as sacrifices, as well as those like the Armstrong siblings and Mustang's team who had also worked alongside them to stop the Promised Day with an award. In Ed's personal opinion, he didn't need some kind of reward for stopping Father but he'd known this was Grumman's way of making sure the public never forgot Promised Day and those who put their lives on the line to protect them so he'd agreed to the ceremony. "I was wondering whether you believe your friend, Scar, would take any offence if I extended an invite to him to attend the ceremony to receive his own award? After all, without him, the array dampening the Amestrian alchemists power wouldn't have been reversed and his brother's array couldn't have been found and used to reverse Father's array," Grumman said and Ed looked at him with slight shock.
"If I'm being honest, Grumman, I don't think I could say with any surety which way Scar would feel about it," he told the Fuhrer. "I don't think he would be offended but I'm not sure he'd be willing to accept it either," Ed said honestly. "Then again, he might accept it to show both Ishval and Amestris that our countries are moving forward from their past conflicts. I could ask, if you'd like?" Ed offered and Grumman nodded.
"Perhaps he'd be more willing to accept the invite coming from someone he calls a friend," Grumman said. "I'll take you up on that offer, if you don't mind," Grumman told him and Ed nodded. He still needed to send his response to Scar's latest letter anyway so he'd just add Grumman's invitation to the end of what he'd already written before he took it to the post office. "Wonderful. If I happen to be busy when he answers, just ask Samantha to pass the message along," Grumman instructed and, once again, Ed nodded.
"Will do," Ed told him and Grumman gave a nod of thanks.
"Excellent," Grumman said before he straightened up slightly. "Now we've managed to discuss most of you conditions for renewing your contract over the past few months when we've managed to get further into our conversations than the pleasantries," Grumman said, no small amount of annoyance on his face, not that Ed could blame him. He was pissed that each of their five previous meetings had managed to be interrupted before too long and with legitimate reasons too. "Is there anything else you wanted to request before I finish drawing up your contract, assuming you're still willing to sign on for another five years?" Grumman asked and Ed shrugged.
"I am and so long as you've kept the condition that I only answer to you or Mustang in and you've added a clause saying I can leave the military before my contract is up with no repercussions if we get a new Fuhrer and they end up being an arse and I don't want to work under them, than I'm good," Ed told him.
"I didn't quite put it in those words but your contract does say that you have the option of leaving the military should you be unable or unwilling to work under a new Fuhrer without suffering any sort of repercussion," Grumman told him, a small smirk on his face as Ed looked pleased. "I never did ask but is there an actual reason why you want the first clause kept? Other than the obvious?" Grumman asked as he finished writing something on what Ed assumed was his new contract.
"I want it kept mainly because it makes my life easier if I can tell certain generals to stick it when they try to give me orders," Ed said and Grumman didn't need to ask the blonde to elaborate on who he was talking about. He was already dreading the phone calls he knew he'd be receiving later that day from Widdon and Combes once Belmont's sentence became public news, "but I also did make a pretty big deal about that being part of my contract when dealing with Widdon and Combes and I don't particularly want to deal with them when they realise it's no longer part of my contract," Ed told him.
"I figured as much," Grumman said before looking at the blonde seriously. "I am willing to keep that clause in there but you must understand that when this contract comes to an end, even if I'm still Fuhrer at the time, you will be very unlikely to be allowed this clause for a third time," Grumman warned him and Ed gave him a nod, showing him that he understood.
"I know," Ed told him. "Besides, Widdon and Combes will hopefully be in jail, forced into retirement or dead by then so it should be all good," Ed said with slightly malicious grin that had Grumman shaking his head.
"As long as you're aware this clause won't be added after this contract expires," Grumman said and Ed nodded. Grumman wrote a few more lines on the papers in front of him while Ed kept himself entertained by listening to the Lions' ideas on how they'd deal with Widdon and Combes if they ever made it to his dimension. He couldn't quite hold his snort back when Red told him she'd hold them over a cliff until they begged for mercy and Grumman gave him a questioning look that made Ed shake his head, indicating it was nothing. Grumman didn't look like he believed him but he went back to his work while Ed admonished Red as much as he could before his amusement grew too great. "Here you are," Grumman said, handing Ed a small collection of papers. "Read over this and if you're happy with it, sign the bottom so I can do the same and send it where it to the personnel department to be filed," Grumman instructed and Ed took the papers from him.
"No worries," Ed said as he settled in to do just that.
Grumman watched him for a moment before he decided to take the opportunity to work on some of his other paperwork. Edward didn't seem to notice Grumman's gaze or that he'd lost it as he took in the papers in front of him. Though he could read at a speed that would almost rival Spencer Reid of the BAU, this was one time where he made himself take in every word carefully. Though he trusted Grumman to not slip in something in his contract Ed wouldn't agree with, he still took no chances but he didn't find anything of the sort. Everything – his wage, the clauses he'd asked for, his duties, etc. – all seemed to be in order and by the time he reached the end of the document, he was happy to sign it. None of the Lions had picked up anything while they read through his eyes so he was very sure there was nothing untoward about his contract.
Snatching a pen off of Grumman's desk, causing the Fuhrer to look up as he did, Ed signed his name to the pages where it was needed before handing both contract and pen back to the Fuhrer. "Is that all?" Ed asked and Grumman nodded as he accepted the items, signing his own name and adding his seal to the bottom of the pages.
"Yes," Grumman said. "You'll be due for your annual physical and alchemic tests in a few weeks however I'm prepared to push them back until after the Promised Day ceremony since they're supposed to happen within a couple of days of each other," Grumman told him and Ed almost laughed. He'd completely forgotten about those exams and the fact that he was about due to for his yearly review to keep his title.
"Awesome. Just let me know when you want me to do them," Ed said and Grumman gave him a nod. "If that's everything you needed to talk to me about, I'll head out. Al and I have to get some groceries for Miss Gracia before she gets home and I told Mustang I'd stop by to tell him whether he gets to put up with me under his command for another five years or not," Ed told him with a small grin on his face.
Grumman chose to ignore his comment. "Actually, now that you've mentioned him, I was wondering how your alchemy lessons are going with Brigadier-General Mustang?" Grumman asked, leaning back in his chair slightly.
"Yeah, alright," Ed said, mimicking Grumman's posture. "Mustang reckons I've got a pretty good handle on the basics but flame alchemy is like nothing I've studied before. The only thing that comes close is my water alchemy but considering Al and I came up with those arrays ourselves, it's by far easier for me to use," Ed told him. "I'm nowhere near an expert in it but I don't think anyone was expecting me to be after only three months," Ed said with a half-smile that Grumman returned.
"Well I haven't received any reports of any explosions in the last three months so your lessons can't be going too badly," Grumman said, an amused twinkle in his eye.
"Nah, not that bad yet," Ed told him with a grin. "It'll take me a while to be proficient at it but it turns out Mustang isn't a half-bad teacher so you never know," Ed said with a shrug. He could hear the Lions in his head teasingly cooing at what could be considered a compliment to Mustang and he told them to shove it, making them laugh.
"I'm sure you'll master it sooner than you think," Grumman said with a kind smile that Ed couldn't help but return.
"Thanks, Grumman," Ed said sincerely and Grumman nodded. "But I do have to go," Ed said, a touch apologetically.
"Of course," Grumman said, standing up from his chair just as Ed did the same. "Make sure you let me know what Scar says so I know what I'm doing and please make sure to extend an invitation to Mrs. Hughes and her daughter as well. I would love to have them there as honoured guests for the memorial service. After all," Grumman said, a slight sadness in his eyes, "Brigadier-General Hughes gave his life trying to give Brigadier-General Mustang the information that would've given us an advantage," Grumman said. Ed couldn't stop the familiar stab of guilt and sadness that he always felt when Hughes was mentioned but he had the Lions to help lessen the guilt side of it.
"Of course. I'll make sure they know," Ed told him, voice a little subdued.
"Thank you," Grumman said before he extended his hand for Ed to shake. "It'll be a pleasure to see what you can do for the military with another five years' service, Lieutenant-Colonel Elric," Grumman said as Ed accepted his hand.
"Hopefully the next five years will be a little less intense than the last five," Ed said with a wry grin that had Grumman chuckle.
"We can only hope," Grumman said, letting go of Ed's hand. "Now you best be off before your brother breaks down my door. I'm sure he's already growing concerned about why you've spent half an hour in here already," Grumman said with an amused smile.
"Yeah, you're probably right," Ed said with a laugh before doing what he should've done when he first entered the office and saluted. "Have a good day, Fuhrer Grumman," he said and Grumman nodded as he dismissed the salute.
"You as well, Edward," Grumman said, once again forgoing military etiquette as the blonde headed for the door.
"See ya, Grumman!" Ed said just before he disappeared through the doors, shooting Grumman a broad grin that had the Fuhrer shaking his head fondly just before the door closed behind him.
The Fuhrer was truly relieved that Ed had decided to stay with the military for another five years. His standing with the public aside, Edward and his legendary stubbornness and alchemic prowess were good for the military and Grumman was certainly glad that the eldest Elric and – through Edward – his brother were willing to stand with him and those who followed him. He didn't want to be in Widdon's and Combes' shoes once the two disgraced generals were brought back from their forced leave.
"How come you took so long? What happened?" Al asked the moment Ed had shut the inner office doors behind him and for some reason, Ed chuckled at him as he waved to Samantha, who was on the phone.
"Come on, I'll tell you all the details while we head to Mustang's office," Ed said, gesturing for his brother to follow. "See you, Miss Samantha!" Ed called, making sure his voice was loud enough for the woman to hear but not loud enough to disrupt her conversation. She waved at the both of them as Al echoed his brother and they headed out of the outer office.
"So?" Al asked impatiently as they headed down the corridor and Ed rolled his eyes.
"When people tell me I'm impatient, I'm gonna tell them to wait to say that until after they've met you," Ed said, causing Al to grumble when Ed didn't answer him. "Settle down," Ed laughed, holding a hand up. "I'm signed on for another five years and my contract is pretty much the same except that it states that at the start of it, I'm a lieutenant-colonel and am to receive the wages and whatnot of one instead of a major," Ed told him. He watched out of the corner of his eyes as various emotions flickered across Al's face as he took in the news.
"I knew you would sign the contract but still," Al said after a minute of walking, "I had hoped that maybe you would retire and you wouldn't be sent on so many dangerous missions again," he said with a small sigh.
"You know that I enjoy doing this work," Ed said, feeling a sense of familiarity as he went through his arguments for staying with the military again, "and you know I enjoy being able to help keep innocent civilians safe with my alchemy," Ed said, placing a hand on Al's shoulder. "Plus, beating the shit out of idiot criminals who deserve it is a lot of fun so there's also that," he added, causing Al to huff out some laughter. "This is what I'm good at, Al, and I know you, Miss Gracia, Elysia and Winry all worry about me but I can do so much good with the military and I can help make sure the military never falls back to how it was during Bradley's reign," Ed said and Al sighed.
"I know, Brother," Al told him, "but I still worry and I can't help that," he told him and Ed nodded, understanding his brother's feelings all too well.
"I know we've already discussed this but you don't have to come with me on missions," Ed reminded him. "You can go and annoy Granny or Winry or you can stay in Central and help Miss Gracia with Elysia while I'm away," Ed told him but Al shook his head.
"Someone's gotta make sure you don't knock criminals out after they've been arrested just because their voice annoys you," Al said with a smirk that turned into laughter when Ed threw his hands up in exasperation.
"That was one time and Moore deserved it!" Ed exclaimed as Al and the Lions cackled at his reaction.
"I'd have knocked him out too," Red soothed in Ed's mind and he grinned smugly at Al.
"Red thinks I did the right thing," he said and Al rolled his eyes.
"Red would," Al muttered back, causing the Lion in question to hiss in offence and Ed to smack his brother up the side of the head.
"Be nice to the Lions," Ed ordered when Al glared at him and his little brother rolled his eyes once more as they rounded the corner that brought them to the corridor Mustang's offices were situated. Ed could feel Red's pleasure at being defended by the blonde so quickly and he hide his amusement quickly.
"I'm sorry, Red," Al said, knowing full well the Lion could hear him while she was consciously connected to his brother like she obviously was.
"He's forgiven. This time," Red said, a growl of warning accompanying her last two words.
"You're forgiven this once," Ed told his brother dutifully as they reached the door that would open to Mustang's original team's office. Just before they knocked though, the door to their right opened and they saw one of the team members who had worked under General Bernard Andrews before his untimely death at the hands of Belmont appear from the other side. "Hey, Valentin," Ed greeted once he'd identified the soldier.
Said man startled slightly at being addressed before he realised who was talking to him and a smile broke out on his face. "Oh, hey, Ed. Hey, Al," the man greeted as he strode over to meet them. "What brings you by?" he asked as he came to a stop in front of them.
"Gotta tell Mustang he gets to put up with me for another five years," Ed said nonchalantly. "You?" he asked, eyeing the papers in the man's arms and guessing what the answer would be.
"Oh, you renewed your contract than?" Valentin asked and Ed nodded. "That's great news! The military certainly would've been more boring without you around," Valentin told him, causing Ed to laugh and Al to groan. "As for me, I'm just delivering our paperwork where it needs to go," Valentin said, hefting the papers slightly in case the brothers had somehow missed them.
"Do any need to go to Brigadier-General Mustang or his team?" Al asked and Valentin stilled for a moment in thought before he nodded, looking a little confused as to why Al might be asking. "We'd be happy to deliver them for you," Al told him and Valentin looked a little surprised before smiling gratefully.
"Oh! That would be really helpful. I've got a lot of stops to make," Valentin said as he leafed through the papers expertly with one hand before handing a stack a good three inches thick over to Al.
"It's no worries," Al said with a smile. "We're happy to help out," he assured him as Ed nodded, despite the fact he had no paperwork in his hands.
"Still, I appreciate it," Valentin said before sighing slightly. "I do have to get going though. It was good running into you two and congratulations on your contract, Ed," Valentin said with a smile.
"No worries and thanks," Ed said with a genuine smile.
"It was good seeing you as well, Valentin," Al said, giving the man a smile of his own that Valentin returned before he headed towards the next office he needed to stop at.
"I suppose now we definitely have to go in and see that bastard," Ed said, glaring at the paperwork in Al's hands.
"We were going to have to anyways, Brother, and you know it," Al told him in a manner that reminded Ed suddenly of Hawkeye before she truly lost her temper.
"Yeah, yeah," Ed muttered before he knocked on the office doors and waited for Hawkeye to permit them entrance before he went in. His kicking down of office doors only ever happened if it was Mustang's inner office door or if he had his hands full and no one else around to open the door for him. He respected and feared Hawkeye far too much to try it at any other time. "What's up?" Ed asked as he and Al headed into the office.
"Hey, Chief. Hey, Al," Havoc greeted from where he sat, leaning in his chair with a cigarette clenched between his teeth as he waved at them. "What brings you by?" he asked.
"Valentin had some paperwork for you lot so we're delivering that and I need to tell Mustang about my contract," Ed told them as Al gave the paperwork to Hawkeye.
"How come Sergeant Valentin had you deliver his team's paperwork?" Hawkeye asked as she started sorting through the small pile.
"We ran into him just as he came out of their office and offered," Al told her. Any suspicion she had that Valentin had just handed off his duties to the boys seemed to disappear with Al's words.
"That was kind of you," Hawkeye said, giving Al a small smile before looking at Ed. "What news do you have regarding your contract?" Hawkeye asked and had it have been anyone else, Ed knew they wouldn't have since it was against military protocol for someone lower in rank to question a superior officer.
"You're stuck with me for another five years," Ed told her, causing massive grins to split on everyone's faces, including Falman's though both he and Hawkeye managed to control their grins so they weren't so wide.
"We knew you wouldn't turn down the chance to keep working with us for another five years," Havoc said as he walked over to Ed to clap him on the shoulder, causing the younger blonde to take half a step forward from the force of the friendly gesture.
"Congratulations, Edward," Hawkeye said as she pulled him into a quick hug, unable to show more affection without breaking military protocol further. "It'll be a pleasure to continue working alongside you," she told him, stepping back from him so the others could offer their own congratulations, which they did enthusiastically.
"We'll have to go out and celebrate," Breda declared, beating Havoc by seconds if the blonde smoker's pout told them anything.
"What are we celebrating?" Mustang's voice asked and they all turned to find the man with an armful of paperwork leaving his office in favour of leaving it on Hawkeye's desk.
"Edward has come to an agreement with Fuhrer Grumman and has agreed to stay with the military for another five years, Sir," Hawkeye told him the moment Mustang released everyone who'd offered him a salute from their poses.
"We've decided we're going out to celebrate him doing so," Breda told him.
"I see," Mustang said. "I suppose that could be a cause for celebration," he drawled, causing Ed to roll his eyes.
"You would be lost without me here going on missions for you and you bloody well know it," Ed informed him, ignoring Al's fruitless attempt at trying to make his brother behave himself.
"I certainly wouldn't know what to do with all the extra time the lack of paperwork regarding you would give me," Mustang drawled.
"You'd probably try to use it to avoid even more paperwork and piss Miss Riza off," Ed snarked back.
"Speaking of paperwork," Hawkeye interrupted, a warning tone in her voice, "Sergeant Valentin has delivered his team's paperwork for today," Hawkeye informed Mustang, handing over the paperwork as she told him about it. "I imagine that it needs to be looked over and signed by the end of the day, Sir," she added, causing his displeased expression to deepen as he looked at the newest stack of paperwork.
"Very well," Mustang said, his tone matching his expression. No doubt, Ed thought, Mustang had thought his second team's paperwork had been in the stack already on his desk and that if he finished that, he'd get to go home earlier than usual. Ed could feel five nods of agreement in his mind as he watched the scene.
"While it's always fun to watch Mustang try and accept more paperwork gracefully," Ed said, earning a glare from his commanding officer and grins from Havoc and Breda, "we only stopped by to let you all know about my contract but we've gotta get going so we can get to the shops for Miss Gracia," Ed told them. "Oh, and I've gotta get to the post office before it closes for the day," Ed said as he patted down his pockets and pulled out his unfinished letter to Scar. "Does anyone have a pencil or pen I can borrow?" he asked, looking up expectantly.
"Sure," Fuery said, handing a pencil over. "What do you need it for?' he asked curiously.
"Grumman wants me to invite Scar to the Promised Day memorial so he can be honoured alongside us and everyone else who played a crucial role in our victory," Ed told him as he scrawled the last few sentences he needed to write before he got to the invitation at the bottom of the letter. "Grumman figured he'd be more likely to accept, or at least think about the offer, if it came from me rather than him," Ed said.
"You know," Mustang said, grabbing Ed's attention, "I have plans to visit Ishval and check on their rebuilding progress in three weeks' time," Mustang told him. "If you'd like to ask him in person, you and Alphonse would be welcome to accompany myself and Captain Hawkeye on the trip," he offered. Ed could feel his own surprise reflected by the Lions and see it on Al's face. Never once, in the near year it had been since Promised Day had Mustang offered to let the two boys go with him on one of his trips to Ishval.
"I don't see any reason why we couldn't," Al said, drawing Ed out of his shock. "What do you think, Brother?"
Ed shrugged. "I can't remember Miss Gracia asking us to do anything around that time so it should be alright," Ed told him before looking at Mustang and nodding. "Let us know when we're leaving," he said and Mustang gave a nod.
"I'm sure Captain Hawkeye will have the details soon," he said and Hawkeye gave a small nod. "If that's all, I'll be heading back into my office to finish the last of the paperwork up," Mustang said, glaring at the papers still in his arms.
"When would you be available for Edward's dinner?" Hawkeye asked. The mutter Ed gave in response was mainly for show and everyone seemed to know it.
"Just let me know. I'm assuming Lieutenant-Colonel Lambert and her team will be invited?" Mustang asked and Ed nodded when everyone's eyes fell on him.
"Yeah, they're cool so if they can make it, they're welcome," Ed told them and Mustang nodded.
"Work out a date with them. I'm sure I'll be able to move any plans I have around to join," Mustang told Hawkeye, who gave him a nod.
"Yes, Sir," she said before looking at his paperwork pointedly. "I suggest you get started on that. I'm sure I'll have an answer for you later today or tomorrow," she told him and Mustang gave a nod that was accompanied by a small sigh.
"Come on, Brother. We need to go as well," Al said before Ed could make any sort of snarky comment to Mustang about his paperwork and Ed nodded before he finished his letter to Scar, telling the man to expect him, Al, Mustang and Hawkeye in a few weeks before he gave Fuery his pencil back and placed the now-finished letter back in his pocket.
"Alright, let's go," Ed said before looking at the others. "We'll see you later. Have fun with your paperwork," Ed said, smirking as Mustang muttered something before the flame alchemist retreated to his inner office after a warning look from his captain. "Have a good rest of the afternoon," Ed said to everyone else.
"See ya, Chief," Havoc said with a grin. "We're sure glad you've decided to stick around."
"Yeah, who knows how boring it would've gotten around here without you?" Breda said, causing Havoc and Fuery to chuckle in agreement.
"Yeah, we'd hate for you lot to be bored at work," Ed drawled though his grin told them he was only teasing.
"Is there any day you can't do dinner?" Hawkeye asked but both Ed and Al shook their heads.
"No, I don't think so," Ed told her and Al echoed his words.
"Very well," she said. "I'll give you two a call when we've worked out a date," she told them and they nodded.
"No worries," Ed told her. "We'll see you lot later," Ed said once more while Al waved as they headed for the outer office doors.
"See you around, guys!" came the call from Havoc, that was then repeated by everyone else just before they shut the doors behind them.
"It's always fun visiting them," Ed said as he and Al headed for the front gates.
"You just enjoy annoying General Mustang," Al accused and Ed nodded, unable to deny it.
"Yeah, that's a big part of it," Ed said with a grin that had Al rolling his eyes and shoulder-checking him as they walked. Ed immediately retaliated with a light strike to Al's shoulder, causing his younger brother to yelp lightly at the sting.
"You two are so childish sometimes," Green told them amusedly and Ed huffed at her.
"Technically speaking, I'm still a child for another couple of months yet so your words have no effect on me," Ed told her after he repeated what she'd said to Al so he was in the loop.
"As if they would even if you were technically an adult," Blue drawled and Ed grinned at her.
"You're not wrong," he told her while Al chuckled his own agreement. "You guys never got to finish your story about the planet you visited today. What happened after Pidge accidentally insulted the princess of the planet?" Ed asked as they continued weaving through Central Command. Now that Belmont's trial had been concluded and his contract had been sorted out, Ed felt like everything had finally calmed down and he smiled to himself as he listened to Green's recount of what Pidge had to do to show the insulted princess that she truly hadn't meant what she'd done.
A/N - Brand new story for you all! As you probably guessed from the title and tags, this is a second Voltron/FMA crossover. If you've stumbled across this story without having read the others in this series, I strongly recommend that you read the first Voltron/FMA crossover 'I say 'Vol', You Say 'Alchemy'' and the third AMA story 'Welcome to Amestris, Agents', at the very least, or else a few things in this story may not make sense.
This will just be a short A/N but I hope to see everyone's thoughts on the very first chapter please! See you guys next week!